Sentimental value

These were my late mother's favourite earrings! Every time I look at them or wear them I remember her and I remember two particular photos of her as a young woman, before I was born, looking very pretty and wearing those earrings. They are not worth much because they don't have the gold mark and the "diamonds" are just glass but I would be devastated if they were to get damaged, lost or stolen.

I could have chosen quite a few other items of sentimental value because you may as well know - I come from a long line of hoarders. My mother used to quote my grandmother or grandfather (I can't recall exactly) on the virtues of putting away stuff that was of no use in the present because it would one day be needed. She usually came up with this quote when my father or I wanted to declutter!

With the passage of time, I followed in her footsteps, so for me decluttering is something which never seems to get done properly. Moving house is a nightmare! When we moved from Zimbabwe, my father built two enormous crates that were filled with much of our stuff. A few years ago I inherited my parents' house and I still have too much clutter there. It's amazing how much a small family can accumulate over a period of 20 years!

It was only when I moved to the Algarve and lived in a rented, furnished house for the first year that I realised, to my great surprise, that I didn't miss most of the things I had left behind. 

The smallest things can hold the fondest memories!

To see what fellow bloggers attach sentimental value to, visit Jake´s blog.

What compells you to collect?

If you've read my post "Collectibles", you'll know that I am collecting African sculptures in wood.

Curios galore

I can pinpoint exactly when and where I fell in love with African sculptures. It was on my second trip to Cape Town. Here's a photo of that curio market by the sea on the road to Hout Bay.

I fell head over heels in love with the giraffes. I couldn't believe the size of some of them!

My friend didn't let me to buy one because she said that this market catered for tourists and she knew where she could get cheaper ones. Later she sent me one almost double the size of the one I wanted to buy at this market.

Of course Portuguese bureaucracy took exception to it arriving without a proforma invoice and, if it hadn't been for the help of a former colleague of mine, an expert in getting products for the company through customs, my lovely giraffe would not be part of my small collection now.

Looking at other posts about collectibles got me thinking...

Do you ever wonder what compells individuals to collect?

Well, according to Susan Pearce, professor of Museum Studies at the University of Leicester, England, "They tend to collect things from the past which has some relevance to them. They may collect things from their own past, or from another person's past that they believe has personal significance. Structuring one's past is a very important part of structuring identity. For example, knowing where we come from and where we belong. Or, they are doing it to structure the way they present themselves to the world or to structure where they live."

The professor goes on to say, "Collections furnish a home. They are physical, touchable things. They help create your environment, and again, your environment is a very important part of your identity."

You can read the whole article in the Credit Suisse Newsletter. 

Collectibles

Jake has suggested "collectibles" as the theme for this week's Sunday post.

I have never been much of a collector but after going to a few car boot sales I have begun to collect African "sculptures".

 This giraffe was given to me by my friend from Cape Town in 1999.

The others have joined my very small collection over the past two years and were bought at car boot sales. 

To have a look at more collectibles, check out the many interesting entries in the comments' section of Jake's post here.